I developed the Taking in the Good Course – six, 3-hour classes combining presentations, experiential activities, and written materials – teaching participants how to turn passing experiences into lasting inner strengths. The preliminary (not yet peer-reviewed) findings in a recent study conducted in collaboration with faculty from UC Berkeley and UC Davis indicate that people who completed the Taking in the Good Course experienced significantly less anxiety and depression, and significantly greater self-control, savoring, compassion, love, contentment, joy, gratitude, self-compassion, and overall happiness.
During the course, participants “take in the good” (TG) to develop greater overall well-being, as well as to internalize the key resource experiences that address personal issues of stress, anxiety, irritation, frustration, loss, blue mood, loneliness, hurt, or inadequacy. The course aims at three kinds of benefits: (1) growing specific inner strengths; (2) developing the qualities implicit in TG (e.g., kindness toward oneself), and (3) increasingly sensitizing the brain to positive experiences.
To view the Preliminary Findings of the Taking in the Good Course click here.
Read the paper on this study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Positive Psychology, December 6, 2021.
• • • • •
How do you practice taking in the good and what effects does your practice have on your life?
